


There's A Star In The East, But It's Only Me

by lalalathisisme



Series: 12 Days of Christmas Sterek [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Canon compliant through 3A, Christmas, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-13
Updated: 2013-11-13
Packaged: 2018-01-01 08:56:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1042919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalalathisisme/pseuds/lalalathisisme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek let his feet move him forward to look at the wolves. There were 8 of them, each paired off. He noticed that most of them were wearing lacrosse jerseys with the names of the pack on them. There was one for Isaac, Jackson, Scott, Boyd and of course Stiles. Scott's wolf also had red googly eyes glued onto it. There was another wolf with cat ears, one with a leather jacket and black paint spattered all around it, and the last one, in the very front of all of the other wolves, was the one with a leather jacket and a red clown nose. </p><p>“I'm best known for vomiting black. Awesome.”</p><p>aka the one where Derek and Cora decide it's time to come back to Beacon Hills, and just in time for Christmas too. Derek learns what being home really means.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's A Star In The East, But It's Only Me

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Teen Wolf. The title is a line from "50 Kilowatt Tree" by The Bobs which is also the inspiration for this fic.

_“My neighbors call me ostentatious, but I know they envy me. Lighting up my yard like downtown Las Vegas, it's my fifty kilowatt tree.”_

*

Cora says Derek will never find what he's looking for because he will never be happy in any place other than Beacon Hills. Derek gives Cora a look of disbelief, one perfect eyebrow arched at Cora, all of the supernatural bullshit that has happened and probably will continue to happen, on the tip of his tongue – fighting words, an endless list of reasons as to why Derek could never feel happy and safe in Beacon Hills. But he doesn't say them. He tells Cora instead that anywhere he has family, he's home. Cora points out that she's not his only family anymore. He has his pack. And Stiles. Derek agrees about the pack, although he doesn't correct her by saying what's left of his pack. He also doesn't acknowledge Stiles getting a separate mention. 

The next day they find themselves packing up their belongings and heading back to Beacon Hills. 

*

They're about 3 hours outside of Beacon Hills when Cora points out that it's fitting that they're going home now because Christmas is less than a week away. Home for the holidays, she says. Derek tightens his grip on the steering wheel. 

*

They're an hour outside of Beacon Hills; Derek has let Cora take over driving because she said his anxiety was going to cause them to crash. Derek's in the passenger seat, staring at his phone.

(Dec. 4) [From Stiles]: Dude, are you coming home anytime soon?

Home. 

(Dec. 20) [To Stiles]: We're an hour away.

Derek shoves his phone deep into his pocket, ignoring it when it buzzes and ignoring the way Cora keeps glancing at him. 

*

They're 15 minutes away from the Beacon Hills city limits when Cora pulls over, unbuckles her seatbelt, extends her claws, and tells Derek to check his damn phone before she claws his jeans apart and gets his phone for herself.

Derek doesn't even have to listen to her heartbeat for a lie to know that she would do it and feel no remorse. Even if he is wearing the newer jeans she made him buy because all of his old ones were ripped and torn or hugged too close to his body and Cora felt like she needed to look at his ass when he walked and that just crossed a line. 

Derek pulls his phone out of his pocket, keeping it out of Cora's reach until he read everything.

(Dec. 20) [From Stiles]: Well hello to you too!  
(Dec. 20) [From Stiles]: Way to warn a guy – I have no time to plan a party that you'd hate but show up to anyway because Cora won't let you stay in whatever decrepit building you're moving into.  
(Dec. 20) [From Stiles]: Unless this is Cora, then I will run and get some streamers and try to make a cake. Meet me at Scott's.  
(Dec. 20) [From Stiles]: That reminds me, your old loft has been condemned due to “faulty power” and “flooding.” Figures.  
(Dec. 20) [From Stiles]: Don't be a stranger.

Derek feels himself smile. Cora doesn't say anything but snatches the phone from Derek to read what Stiles said. Cora wonders if it's too late to agree to a party with streamers and cake. 

*

Derek thinks that in the 4 months since they've left Beacon Hills, it couldn't have changed that much. It seems to have gone through a transformation though – and not the “oh shit, supernatural things” kind of transformation. Derek thinks he's never seen Beacon Hills look this festive – at least not since high school. 

Cora says he probably just didn't notice because he was brooding in a hole, hiding from the world, bitter in lonely. She's right, but he's not going to say so.

They're driving through town when Derek notices a bright, almost blinding, light in the distance – about the size of a house. Cora says they can deal with the latest supernatural bullshit in the morning but Derek makes her drive over there anyway because it's near the Stilinski house. Cora wisely doesn't comment on that piece of knowledge. 

The sight that greets them is...not what Derek (claws out, fangs ready) was prepared for.

It was...an abomination of lights. It looked like every store in a 50 mile radius vomited all its Christmas decorations onto the house. There was a huge rotating Santa on the roof shouting “Ho! Ho! Ho!” every 30 seconds, multiple of those obnoxious inflatable snow globes in the front yard, a bright neon angel with strobe lights flickering around a stable, and each tree in the yard was decorated with a string of different colored lights. There was even a Santa in a sleigh on the ground being pulled by 8 reind-wolves. Wolves?

Derek stopped in his tracks. He felt Cora brush past him as she moved closer to look at the wolves. Derek only moved closer to look when Cora burst out laughing. Derek surveyed the house and now that he wasn't focused on the blinding Christmas lights and the wolves on the lawn, he realized it was the Stilinski house. Of course. The only house in the whole town that could probably get away with it because no one is going to pop the snow globes on the SHERIFF's lawn. Especially anyone who has lived in this town long enough to remember Mrs. Stilinski's love for Christmas. 

Derek let his feet move him forward to look at the wolves. There were 8 of them, each paired off. He noticed that most of them were wearing lacrosse jerseys with the names of the pack on them. There was one for Isaac, Jackson, Scott, Boyd and of course Stiles. Scott's wolf also had red googly eyes glued onto it. There was another wolf with cat ears, one with a leather jacket and black paint spattered all around it, and the last one, in the very front of all of the other wolves, was the one with a leather jacket and a red clown nose. 

“I'm best known for vomiting black. Awesome.”

Derek hadn't even noticed Cora coming to stand next to him. Stiles had put the whole pack there – even the wolves that don't align themselves with Derek. Stiles probably had a lot of fun doing it. Erica would have loved it. Boyd would've smiled his secret smile and made fun of Derek's clown nosed wolf. 

Derek burrowed his hands into his jacket. They'd been gone for 4 months. Cora was right, he hadn't found what he was looking for because what he was looking for was in Beacon Hills. But he ran anyway. Because Erica was gone. And Boyd was gone. And Jackson was gone. And Scott didn't even need an alpha. 

Derek fished his phone out of his pocket, turning it over in his hands for a few moments before shooting off a text.

(Dec. 20) [To Stiles]: I like the lights.

Derek didn't expect to get an answer back from Stiles and he didn't. Derek and Cora stood in the middle of Stiles' lawn for a few more moments, looking around at the rest of the decorations. They turned to leave when the sound of Stiles' front door opening caused them to turn back. 

Stiles stood in the doorway, his arms wrapped around his body. He looked...different. Not bad, just...thinner. Darker. Like a rain cloud was hanging over his head. A lot changed in 4 months apparently. 

“How do you like the wolves?” Stiles didn't raise his voice, he didn't have to. Derek felt his feet moving towards Stiles before he even realized what was happening.  
“Why am I Rudolph?”  
“Because even though you're not the coolest werewolf in the schoolyard, you still brought us all together. You've still been a good leader even though some things don't go as planned. And even though you left us, we've been trying to be a better pack, just so you'd have something solid to come back to, when you decided to come home.”  
Home.  
“Shouldn't Scott be Rudolph? He's the alpha now.”  
“Scott didn't want his wolf to wear a red clown nose.”

Derek let it drop. He stood on Stiles' porch, looking anywhere but at Stiles.

“Come on inside. I'll make us hot chocolate. I can catch you up on how boring Beacon Hills has been since you left.”  
“I've got Cora.”  
“So bring Cora in.” Stiles rolled his eyes, opening the door open more, letting Derek see into the Stilinski house, the warm kitchen lights beckoning them inside. Cora is past him before he even has a chance to say 'thanks but no thanks.' Derek follows her in, because, because they're home for the holidays and this is what people do. Derek didn't miss the way that Stiles smiled as he closed the door behind them. 

“I'm glad you've come home.” Stiles tosses over his shoulder as he shuffles into the kitchen to put the kettle on to heat up the water.

Home.


End file.
